Elmo, A Witch and Halloween 2012 x2!

Giana's school fall party, Elmo at the Mom's Club halloween party, pumpkin painting and of course, trick or treat! Thanks to Huricane Sandy, the kids went trick or treating in our neighborhood on 10/31 (it was miserable, windy, cold and raining - ugh!) and then again at Dominic's parents on 11/4. Trick or treat in Cleveland was rescheduled because of the storm. The witch had a blast and was the prettiest witch I've ever seen. Elmo wasn't quite sure about trick or treat. He handed out candy at our house and then when we went out, he tried to give the candy back to the neighbors after they put it in his basket. He was a little confused but by the time he went out in Cleveland,
he understood and wanted more "cannies."

Romney Ryan Rally

What a fun evening! My mom, sister and I took the kids to see Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. It was so cool to be a part of such a moving and important event. We were among 10,000+ supporters. Out of the blue, a rally worker approached us (out of thousands of people) and asked if we would like to go to the VIP section. He escorted us to the front. Again, so cool and how lucky we're we?! Praying hard for a Romney/Ryan victory in 2012!

Birthday, Anniversary, Apples and More!



Apple picking in Cleveland with the Vitale's.



Girls day out apple picking and visiting a pumpkin patch with our friends Cindy and Sarah. 

He loved this pumpkin so we bought it for him!

Giana started her cheerleading class and loves it! Her instructor is a senior Ohio State cheerleader.

Searching for just the right pumpkin!

My sweet babies strolling through the apple orchard.

I love this time of year!

Happy 15th anniversary to my very best friend! Thank you for your commitment to our marriage, your loyalty to our love and your hard work to take care of our family. You are a wonderful husband and a loving dad. I thank God for you every day. Praying for many more happy and healthy years together.

The Vitale clan at the apple farm.

Happy 6th birthday, Giana! We love you so much and had a fun time celebrating with family and friends at Pete's Rec Outlet! Giana fell in love with some frog invitations so we kept the theme and had the cake made, too. Love that girl!

I volunteer in Giana's classroom every other Thursday and it has been so much fun. A lot of work, but fun! I must give a shout out to those kindergarten teachers. :)

Birthday Boy and Kindergarten Girl

August was crazy busy but bittersweet for me. Dominic turned two on 8/7 and Giana started kindergarten on 8/27. Our kiddos are growing so fast. We try to enjoy every moment. Time sure is precious. Blessed and thankful for our two favorite people. (Please bare with me as I try and figure out my new blog layout. I have no idea why the pictures are out of order.)

First day of kindergarten! She loved it! Mommy is the only one who cried. Sobbed.

Our garden! We had lots of tomatoes, a few cucumbers and one ear of corn!

Giana and Mrs. Horman on the first day of school.

Dominic received tickets to a Clippers Game so we took Giana. Awesome seats and she loved the free food!

She did it! Giana's ears are pierced and she takes such good care of them. Santa will be bringing her some earings this year.

Happy birthday, Dominic! What a blessing he is! We celebrated with family and friends with a cook out at our house.

Waiting for the school bus the first week of school. Love. these. two!  

"We have no summer plans."

Fourth of July parade and fireworks, Myrtle Beach vacation with the Vitale's, Columbus Zoo, Ohio State Fair, Touch-A-Truck, Vacation Bible School for Giana, a basement renovation, and a family trip to WV that included Ogelbay, Wheeling Park, swimming, paddle boats and a prison tour.

This was just in July. But we had "no summer plans." :)

Tooth Fairy Visits Giana!

I can't believe my baby is growing up! She lost he first tooth a few days ago and this morning she lost a second tooth. Both were the bottom two middle teeth. It's hard to tell in the pictures because her adult teeth were already in and waiting for the baby teeth to fall out. The tooth fairy left her $1.50 for her first tooth and will probably leave her $1.00 for her second tooth. (That tooth fairy is so cheap!) Honestly, she doesn't quite understand the difference between $1.50 and $5.00. She was so excited to get the coins that she woke us at 4:15am to let us know that she had come. I love the imagination. Tooth fairy, get your wings ready because you need to come back again tonight. Tooth #1 (6/25/12)

Tooth #2 (6/28/12)

Father's Day 2012

Once again, I failed to take pictures on Father's Day. I'm really trying to enjoy the moment more but boy do I wish I would have just pulled out my camera a few more times. Here are the kiddos enjoying father's day in the baby pool in Cleveland. Happy Father's Day, Dominic. I love you so much and so do our kids. I'm thankful we have you. And Happy Father's day to Papa. We love you, too!

Happy Father's Day, Dad. It's hard to believe you've been gone for almost 9 years. I miss you. I wish your life wasn't cut short at such a young age. Hard for me to understand but I trust that God had better plans for you. I wish so much that you were able to meet our kids. Dominic looks so much like you. As much as I would love to have you back, I know that heaven is a better place. Rest in peace. I love you. (My sister sent me this picture on Father's Day of her and my Dad. He was probably about 30 years old. Kinda cute, huh?)